Olivia unlocked the constabulary and turned off the alarm. She secured her purse in the bottom desk drawer, then switched her computer on, giving it time to boot up as she surveyed the room and desk.
After attending to a few emails, she unlocked the sliding doors with her card key. Time for coffee.
On her way to the break room she glanced into Janis Jets's office. Without Janis the place felt empty.
I suppose I might as well get used to her absence.
A twinge of sadness hit her every time she thought about Janis leaving Lily Rock.
Janis is such a permanent fixture for this town, not just for me.
Flipping on the light to the break room, Olivia stood at the sink. Pushing aside boredom she rediscovered satisfaction in her routine. She rinsed the carafe and then filled it with fresh tap water. Pouring the contents into the reservoir at the back of the coffee maker, she snapped the lid down, then fitted a new coffee filter into the plastic basket. Next came the measuring. Counting to ten, she spilled rounded spoonfuls of ground coffee into the filter. Her hand froze in midair.
"Hey, assistant, can I have some of that?"
Olivia smiled. After she finished the last spoonful of grounds, she slipped the basket in and turned to face her boss. "Almost ready," she said with a smile.
Dressed in her official uniform of khaki pants with navy blue blazer over a white shirt, Janis smiled back.
This feels like old times.
"Good to see you this morning, boss. I trust everything worked out okay yesterday?"
"Yep, all is good." Jets looked over Olivia's shoulder at the brewing coffee. She shifted from foot to foot as if she had something else to say.
"Want to sit down and chat for a bit?"
Instead of sitting, Janis looked Olivia up and down. "Bring me some coffee, would ya? You can find me in my office."
Stung by the rejection, Olivia did her best not to look disappointed.
A few minutes later she arrived in Janis's office doorway holding a mug of coffee in each hand. Janis did not look up; she peered at her computer instead. "Just set it down, I'll get to it later," she said off-handedly.
Olivia complied, taking her own mug with her on the way out of the door.
Past the glass door she saw Michael standing at her desk. As soon as he saw her, he shoved his cell phone in his pocket with a grin. "I miss our morning coffee at your house, so I dropped by to ask you out to lunch."
Thoughts of Janis's dismissive behavior vanished. She looked over her desk.
No more clutter, so why not go out to lunch?
"Great idea," she told Michael. "Speaking of food, are we still on for Saturday night dinner?"
Michael nodded. "I got a table for two outside with an outdoor heater and privacy."
"Will we dress up?" inquired Olivia, feeling her heart flutter.
"The Refuge doesn't require anything fancy, but maybe a little dressy," suggested Michael. "It's kind of a big occasion for us, finally going out on a date. I can wear a jacket, but no tie."
"No tie. That tells me everything. I've got the perfect outfit."
Michael glanced around the reception area. "Things are looking tidy and organized." He turned toward her desk. "Any new robberies or murders to solve? You've been here for nearly a week."
Olivia thought for a moment. "This new role as the constabulary temporary assistant puts me out of business as the Lily Rock amateur sleuth."
I could tell him about Janis leaving, but she may walk in any minute.
"We can talk more at lunch," she added. "I should be ready around noon."
"Sounds good. By the way, no Mayor Maguire…has he abandoned you again?"
"I think he's staying with Sage for now. At least that's where I left him yesterday, walking with her back to the academy office."
"I heard there was a complaint filed by a parent," Michael said.
The Lily Rock grapevine strikes again.
Olivia sighed. "Not filed, at least so far. Simon Court came here and threatened Janis. I was a witness. She's not too concerned."
"I'd keep away from him, he's not a nice guy," Michael commented with a frown.
"I would, but it's not possible because I'm coaching his daughter's a cappella group."
"How did you get roped into that?"
"It's all Sage's doing. I volunteered with Sage's approval. She thinks the Tone Rangers need an impartial listener who knows music, and she also knows that I come cheap."
"How about we pick up the conversation at lunch?" suggested Michael. "I've got a few errands to run before then."
"Good idea," she agreed.
"I'll come by to walk over with you around noon."
Michael waved, turning the doorknob in his hand.
She faced her computer for the second time.
Olivia took the rest of the morning to clean out old messages. Before she knew it, her phone registered quarter to twelve. She sent Janis a text.
Leaving for lunch, be back in an hour.
By the time she shut down the computer, Michael walked into the constabulary. Olivia didn't wait for a reply from her boss.
When they stepped out of the door toward the Village Pie Shoppe, Olivia heard a slapping sound overhead. "What's a helicopter doing in Lily Rock?" she exclaimed.
Michael held his hand over his eyes, staring into the sky.
A helicopter circled above the center of town.
"Kind of interesting, feels like we're under surveillance. Maybe they're looking for drugs," remarked Michael. He took her hand.
"Should we alert Brad?" laughed Olivia.
"Let's walk away from the noise," he shouted as the helicopter came closer. "We can have lunch and let Janis worry about her town."
Janis has other things on her mind. She probably won't even notice a helicopter hovering over the park.
Sandwiches ordered, Michael leaned back in the booth. He smiled at Olivia. "So what did you want to say that you couldn't mention earlier? Start at the beginning."
Olivia took a moment to sip some water, then put the glass down. "This is so weird being an employee for Janis. It's like she's a totally different person and I don't know what I can talk about and what I can't."
She tugged at the band holding her napkin around the utensils. When she was done Michael reached across the table to take both her hands into his warm grasp. "On the one hand," he raised her left hand with his, "Janis can be standoffish. On the other hand," he raised her right, "she'll act like your best friend if she thinks she can get information to solve one of her cases."
Olivia laughed. "That was a good Janis Jets imitation, I'll give you that. The one hand, other hand bit." She relished the calm she felt, gently tugging away from his grasp to finish unwrapping her utensils and place the napkin on her lap.
"This may sound odd," she confided, "but I have to sort out what I can tell you and what I can't, now that I'm Janis's assistant. I'm walking a fine line here." She grinned. "At least until I figure it out, I'd best zip it up." She held her lips tight.
Michael did not disagree. "I get it. We were a team with Janis and now you're an employee. They need a Hippocratic oath like medical people have, only it applies to police work."
"They probably have an oath," Olivia said thoughtfully, "but I don't know the details. I'm just going on instinct."
As soon as she finished her sentence, the waitress arrived with their meals.
At five o'clock that afternoon Olivia locked the back and front entrances to the constabulary.
I don't want to be late for the Tone Ranger master class. I'm nervous about them and the school. Probably a good idea to keep listening so that I can share my concerns with Sage.
She hurried out the front toward her parked car.
On the drive over she thought about her lunch with Michael, remembering the rest of their conversation.
"The Tone Rangers seem nervous about the recital for parent weekend," she'd said, "plus I got the funny feeling they weren't telling me everything. Anais showed up at the constabulary to talk to me. I feel like a dorm advisor. I wonder who these kids have to talk to about their problems."
Michael had listened attentively, nodding while holding her hand over the table.
She pulled her car into a space at the far end of the lot. Grabbing her autoharp from the passenger seat, Olivia stepped out of the car as she heard two people arguing.
Several yards into the woods, two people occupied a wooden picnic table, sitting across from each other, face-to-face.
Olivia closed her car door and locked it, making her way toward the voices.
Better keep out of sight.
She ducked behind a tree before being noticed.
The person, back toward her, looked like a student. Even from a distance Olivia saw clenched fists.
Looks familiar, but I can't tell from the back.
Once she got closer, she recognized the man facing her direction.
That's Dave Franco.
Her eyes shifted as she tried to identify the other person.
He may be talking to one of the Tone Rangers.
Dave spoke in an insistent voice. "You know we have to practice taking the test. Your dad hired me to help you get a better score."
Olivia felt a prickle down her spine. She glanced over each shoulder, and then quietly stepped away from the tree to see if she could edge closer to hear more of the conversation.
I am such a nosey person.
The student spoke loudly. "My dad doesn't know what the hell he's doing. He trusts you to make me a good test taker. I do okay on my own, at least then it's not cheating. You're helping me to game the system."
"No, no, Raleigh," came Dave's soothing voice. "You've misunderstood your dad's intentions. He hired me because I help a lot of students improve their SAT scores to get into better colleges. He only wants what's best for you."
Raleigh pounded their fist on the table. "No, that’s not really what this is about. As soon as I got into junior high, Court sent me to his psychologist to get some tests done on me. They claimed I had Attention Deficit Disorder or something. Then the school gave me special deals. I could take more time than the others on tests. I could take an extra week of study. They kept giving me more and more special treatment. My friends were so jealous. Heh, friends…I don’t even have friends anymore. Not since Dad and Court got together to get me into Harvard."
Dave leaned over the picnic table to assure the distraught student. "It's okay, Raleigh. You've got this. We'll keep practicing for the test. Pretty soon it will be so easy you can take it in your sleep."
Fists unclenched, the teen hung their head. They swung both legs from under the picnic table to stand up.
I can pretend that I just walked up. Now's my chance.
Olivia walked closer to the bench.
"Hey, you two, how are things going today?" she called out.
Dave smiled, his hand nervously adjusting his pork pie hat.
"Hey, Olivia. We're good. Doing some tutoring with Raleigh." He tapped their arm. "Say hi to Olivia, Raleigh."
Raleigh sighed. "Hi, Olivia, it must be time for the master class."
"As a matter of fact I am here for the Tone Rangers," Olivia said cheerily. "You're an amazing tenor and I'm sorry I haven't directed my attention to you so far. I guess you should be complimented. I have nothing to add to improve your performance."
Raleigh shared a slight smile.
"If I remember correctly, your pronouns are they/them."
Raleigh nodded, their smile deepening to a look of appreciation.
"Thanks," they muttered. Raleigh reached over to pick up their tablet. "I better go now so that I can be there for the master class. Nice talking to you."
"See you in a few minutes," she said.
As Raleigh hurried toward housing, Olivia sat down in the place they'd occupied.
"I heard you guys arguing, so I just held back."
"I saw you hiding behind the tree," admitted Dave.
"Hey, that was my Nancy Drew moment. Nancy often hid behind trees to overhear conversations."
Dave shrugged. "Don't worry about eavesdropping. We were pretty loud."
"The Tone Rangers concern me, so nervous and highly strung. I remember when I was in high school, I didn't care as much about performance and getting an early acceptance. The kids are under so much pressure."
"I know I didn't care about achievement. This is a new generation. A lot is expected of them, and on top of that, the kid has some issues."
"The dad hired you?"
"I got a referral from Rydell Cox in the fall. A lot of parents want their kids to max out the admission tests and get early acceptance in their senior year. One of my superpowers is test taking. I'm just good at it, always have been. So I help the kids here at the academy, which gives me some extra income. Like I said before, Sweet Four O'Clock isn't my only gig." He smiled at her.
"I am not surprised at all. Everyone in Lily Rock looks for part-time jobs just to keep up with the cost of living. And anyway, you said you're having a baby."
Dave's smile faded. He looked down for a moment, then back at Olivia.
"I'm worried about finances," he admitted with a nod. "I'm worried about a lot of things. It wasn't my idea to have a baby."
"I didn't have a dad growing up, but I'm sure you're going to be great. You can teach the kid drums. What kid doesn't want to play with sticks and be a rock star?"
"I hope you're right. My wife thinks I'll do okay, but I worry. My dad was not a great role model, let's just leave it at that." Dave glanced at his cell phone. "It's time for your master class with the Tone Rangers. Do you mind if I sit in again?"
"No problem," said Olivia. "Why do you care so much about a cappella singing?"
"I was clueless about a cappella until this fall. I mean, four kids singing without accompaniment…how would that get them into college? But since I tutor the kids, I thought it would be a good idea to see them doing their thing. Plus I was told by Cox to pay more attention. According to Cox the academy board of directors takes great pride in the success of the Tone Rangers. If they all get early admission into prestigious colleges, the rating for the music academy will rise. Then next year they'll draw even more applicants. Then they can raise their tuition."
"Sure," said Olivia. "You tutor all four? How did that come about?"
"After Rydell Cox referred me, their parents called me individually. I started tutoring them before school started, back in July. A lot rides on the college admission test scores. Assuming they keep up their grade point averages, there's a good chance all four will get early admission."
"You're an important cog in this wheel of getting admitted," commented Olivia. "We're the same, you know. I coach the music, you coach for testing."
Now on his feet, Dave looked away. "Not exactly the same," he said softly. Before Olivia could inquire further, his voice perked up. "See you later. I'm going to grab a water and then I'll meet you in the auditorium."
"Behind the piano," laughed Olivia.
"That's right." He grinned. "I'm incognito." He adjusted his hat. "Basically I don't want to interfere. You're very good with the Tone Rangers. I saw that right away."
Olivia felt her cheeks warm.
That’s nice of Dave.
She waved as he walked away.
She walked toward the auditorium, her autoharp under her arm.
"Thanks for arranging the chairs," she called out to the Tone Rangers who had arrived earlier. "Hey, Raleigh," she added as the teen rushed through the door.
"Anais did it," Abbey said. "She's always the one to kiss up to the teacher."
Anais's chin tucked toward her chest. "I guess so," she said softly.
"Just leave her alone, would you?" Raleigh glared at Abbey.
Abbey rose up on the toes of her worn hiking boots and faced Raleigh. "You aren't the leader of the Tone Rangers and Anais needs to grow a backbone." She stamped her foot and then turned away.
No one disagreed.
"Let's get going. I don't have time for this coaching stuff, especially from a woman who plays autoharp," Abbey added impatiently.
"That's because you've never heard her sing," said Dave, stepping in from the exit. "Olivia Greer has an extraordinary voice and you're lucky to have her as a coach."
Abbey shrugged, dismissing Dave with a sneer. "What do you know…you're an average percussionist who tutors kids on how to take tests. Your opinion doesn't matter to any of us. Just do what you're hired to do."
Olivia's gut clenched.
She's so hostile and just like her father.
Olivia looked over to Anais, who stared back, her eyes pleading for help.
"That's enough of the bickering," Olivia scolded the group. "Let's get to your first song for parent weekend.” Olivia pointed to the empty chairs as an invitation to sit down.
All four Tone Rangers complied.
After the last note of "Closer to Fine", an Indigo Girls classic, died away, Legend spoke. "We haven’t tried the falsetto register yet. I know it's not the same arrangement as usual, but it might add some interest for the listener."
"We don't care about the listener," Abbey said. "We only care about the judges, and they are very conservative. They don't want boys dressing as girls, let alone singing in falsetto."
"I don't agree," Legend said. "I think the judges want to hear something fresh, and a falsetto voice in an Indigo Girl song might be the best way to get their attention and set ourselves apart."
As the two argued, Olivia looked at Anais, whose eyes filled with tears. Before she could ask the girl her opinion, Anais rose to her feet, running from the auditorium.
Abbey continued to argue, "I am the leader of this group and I say no falsetto. End of discussion."
Legend's eyes dropped as she ran her hand over her skirt. Instead of continuing to make her point, she clamped her mouth shut, nervously folding and unfolding the fabric over her lap.
Raleigh turned to Legend. "Let's get out of here. I'll meet you at the Lily Rock trail in ten minutes. We can hike the crest."
"Sounds good," replied Legend.
Raleigh paused for a moment and then turned to Olivia. "Are we done with the master class?"
"We're finished for today. When you two hike together, do you wear those skirts?"
Legend flipped her skirt for the second time to show off the worn boots. "We've got boots that are made for hiking."
"That's just what they do," added Raleigh in the perfect imitation of the Nancy Sinatra song.
"And one of these days these boots are going to walk all over you," added Legend in perfect pitch, eyes directed at Abbey.
Abbey froze in her spot, a look of fear coming over her face.
The intention of Legend's song had hit the mark. Olivia inhaled sharply.
Abbey's days as the leader are numbered. If she's not careful Legend will take charge before the first competition.